2008 Ford Mustang FR500S - The Birth Of A Race Car

Written
by
Bill McGuire
on September 21, 2008 Contributors: Miller Motorsports ParkFord Calls The Mustang FR500S The Company's First Official Factory Production Racer In History. HOT ROD Calls It A Good Time.

1/16You can have any color you want as long as it's white. For custom paint you need to contact Miller Motorsports Park when you place your order for a Mustang FR500S.

The full title of this deal is (deep breath) the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge for the Miller Cup presented by BFGoodrich. That's a bit long to be truly catchy, but it does give a shout out to all the parties that made it possible. So what is it? The Miller Cup-you'll forgive the shorthand-is a brand-new road-racing series using modified Mustang GTs that anyone can buy. Here's the deal: These are genuine factory-built and supported race cars-the first Fords to truly have that honor, the company says.

The car Ford has prepared for this new series is called the FR500S. In preparation and performance, this nifty spec racer slots in nicely between an SCCA Touring 2-style Mustang and the FR500C Grand Am car. The FR500S uses a nearly stock 4.6L Mustang V-8 nominally rated at 325 hp to keep costs and speeds at a manageable level. However, the rollcage and other features are taken from the FR500C to provide a solid race car that is safe and reliable. Brakes, electronics, and safety equipment are reassuringly over-engineered as well. The price is $75,000 out the door.

Construction of the FR500S begins at the AutoAlliance International plant in Flat Rock, Michigan, 20 miles south of the Ford mother ship in Dearborn. Jointly operated by Ford and Mazda, AutoAlliance is the production home for the Ford Mustang and the Mazda6. Starting with a body in white, the FR500 buildup takes place at the Material Sequencing Center adjacent to the main assembly plant on a special pilot line where all new Mustang models are trial-assembled before production is shifted over the big line. The body in white is fully painted inside and out. However, the sound deadener and a good part of the seam sealer are left out to save weight and to provide a neater appearance as the carpets, headliner, and interior door panels will be deleted as well.

5/16Since engine modifications of any kind are forbidden, these engine seals are installed to keep everyone honest. All engines are dyno tested and certified by Roush Industries to within 4.5 hp to keep the playing field level.

The production 4.6L three-valve V-8 is installed with a special computer calibration, along with a fresh-air kit, long-tube headers, and a cross-pipe from the Ford Racing Performance Parts catalog-all of which bring the power up to 325 hp, 25 more than a standard Mustang GT. Roush Industries dyno tests each engine to certify that all produce within 4.5 hp of each other and files the dyno reports with the race series. The transmission is the same six-speed Tremec T6060 used in the Shelby GT500 paired to a severe-duty clutch. The rear axle assembly is borrowed from the Bullitt Mustang parts bin with a 3.73:1 ratio and sturdier pinion bearing, with a Ford Racing/Torsen limited-slip differential installed.

Front and rear springs and antiroll bars are specially calibrated for the FR500S, while the two-way adjustable shocks are supplied by Sachs. The steering rack is a special Ford Racing piece as well. Brembo four-piston racing brakes with 14-inch rotors-same stuff as the FR500C-are installed up front while the rear brakes are from the Shelby GT500. An abbreviated wiring harness is installed, along with a standard Mustang dash and instrument panel. However, an electronic race-style instrument cluster will be installed later as part of the data acquisition system.

Once AutoAlliance has completed its work, the cars are sent to Watson Engineering in nearby Taylor, Michigan. Watson is a longtime supplier to the Detroit automakers with more than 200 employees and a 154,000-square-foot manufacturing facility. Here program manager Chuck Watson II and his crew perform the rollcage installation and other fabrication work. That includes a pair of driveshaft safety loops, the installation of an aluminum Ford Racing radiator and degassing bottle, and the lightening of both doors. Aluminum panels are made to tidy up the vacant rear seat area and close out the rollcage. Weight with driver and fuel is set at 3,600 pounds.

9/16The FR500's build crew is made up of the same workers who operate the Mustang pilot line and train the assembly line workers for the main AutoAlliance plant. All new Mustang models, from the Shelby to the Bullitt, come down their pilot line first.

For the third and final phase of the buildup, the cars are sent to Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah. Here the AIM data acquisition system, race scoring transponder, and safety equipment are installed, including a harness, a window safety net, and a Sparco/Ford Racing seat. The final pieces in the puzzle are four GT500 aluminum wheels and a set of unshaved BFGoodrich g-Force R1 tires, 245/45R18 all around. Miller Motorsports Park also serves as home base for the program. Track owner Larry Miller is a dedicated Ford enthusiast and, along with the gearheads at Ford Racing, the driving force behind the new series.

HOT ROD Editor Rob Kinnan attended the official launch party of the FR500S at Miller Motorsports Park, which included driver/owner orientation and test laps on the 2.2-mile east circuit. Here is his report: "It was great watching the presentation of the cars. They lined them all up on the starting grid and went down the line one by one, presenting the keys to the really excited owners. After a couple of seminars about the cars, the tires, and the AIM system, the track was opened and everyone got to hot-lap their cars for the first time. I got to join the track action driving No. 523.

"Once you're deep in the Sparco bucket, buckled up, the luscious suede steering wheel is clicked into place, and the window net is secured; there's no mistaking this thing for a street car. It's all race. All the cars were set up identically, but the first thing I'd change on this car would be to lower the seat a little bit. It felt high, reinforced by the helmet whacking the upper rollcage bar on hard righthanders.

13/16No airbags, carpeting, or upholstery are installed in the interest of simplicity and weight savings, but the FR500S does get a complete dash assembly and a trimmed wiring harness. However, the dash will have to be removed and reinstalled later when the rollcage is fitted.

"On the track, the car drove and handled great. I dunno, I guess I was expecting much more of a stock Mustang-like ride, but it's stiff and very connected to the driver. A lot of engineering and tuning went into the suspension setup, and you can tell. The car sticks the turns hard and is pretty close to neutral, and since the tires are the limiting factor to grip, it's an easy car to control. It's easy to make it push and it's easy to make it loose, and you can go from one to the other pretty easily and very manageably. The stock engine makes it feel underpowered for the amount of grip it has and the noises it makes, but that's a good thing for a spec series. It's a very fun car to drive, and the racing is going to be incredibly tight. Expect lots of body damage during races, regardless of what the tech officials told us."

The inaugural season of the Mustang Challenge for the Miller Cup features eight events, starting out at Road Atlanta and ending with a doubleheader at Miller in September. A purse of $300,000 is up for grabs. BFGoodrich, Ford Racing, and Miller Motorsports Park have thrown their full weight behind this deal; you can find rule books, parts lists, and all the information you need at www.mustangchallenge.com, www.fordracing.com, www.millercup.com, and www.bfgoodrichtires.com. So what does HOT ROD think of all this? Kinnan says, "Now, if we can just get on a team and get to Road Atlanta . . . ."

Hot Rod Runs The Miller Cup!We're so into the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge for the Miller Cup that we worked with Ford Racing to provide an FR500S for HOT ROD to run the eight-race series this year. Car No. 523 is ours and as we go to press is being prepped by Chris Kaufmann at Kaufmann Racing in Oxnard, California. The plan is for Editor Kinnan to race the car once he gets his Grand Am license, with Kaufmann driving the first and second races (the second, at Mosport International Raceway in Toronto, Canada, happens during the HOT ROD Power Tour(r)). Watch for more coverage throughout the season.